Etherton Education has formed highly valued partnerships, approved by the UKVI as part of the required Tier 4 compliance, with over 160 top independent boarding and day schools in the UK. The purpose of these formal partnerships is to enable students, who are joining a partner school after attending one of our Academic Pre-sessional Summer Courses, to obtain a single visa to cover up to eight weeks’ study with Etherton Education followed by enrolment onto their main course of study at their school.

Please scroll down to the map below indicating the locations of our Partner Schools.

There are numerous advantages for a school partnership with Etherton Education. Students who attend our summer academic courses progress to their main school far better prepared for study in the UK and with greater confidence in their ability to communicate in English. We help them to understand how to behave in formal situations, such as mealtimes, as well as the standards of manners and behaviour expected both inside and outside of school.

Students who have attended our summer courses are also much more settled, both socially and emotionally, as the ‘culture shock’ and adjustment to being away from family and friends is much reduced. For many students our course is their first time away from home for an extended period, and so we ensure they are familiar with boarding routines. By the time students join their UK school most will have settled well, know they can make new friends, and are ready to apply themselves confidently in their new school, in the classroom, in the boarding house and also in the extra-curricular. The ability to integrate once the pupil arrives in the main school is very much a primary aim of Etherton courses. Here is what two of our Partner Schools have to say:

“Recently I visited Etherton Education whilst they were in full swing at Wellington School. Before the visit I knew Etherton helped some of our pupils with their English before joining us, but as soon as I left I knew I had been missing a trick! Wow, what an incredible offering. Not only do the pupils have the opportunity to improve their English, but it is a ‘like for like’ boarding school experience. I never knew that they were learning to play new sports like netball, hockey, tennis, rugby and rounders; exploring traditional English foods, doing drama and ten other curriculum subjects too, and most importantly, they were learning the importance of putting their hands up and expressing their opinions in English. As I was walking around, the children seemed genuinely happy and how could they not be with such caring and supportive staff. I feel the Etherton Education experience is fundamentally valuable to each child joining the British education system and I will be proactively encouraging pupils to experience it before they come to us at Malvern St James.”

Emily Harris, Director of Marketing and Admissions, Malvern St James Girls’ School

“It is no exaggeration to say that students who have attended the Etherton Education pre-sessional programmes arrive at Stonar head and shoulders above the others. Their English has improved enormously, they are fully acclimatised and prepared for boarding school life. I find their confidence dramatically improved and they arrive truly ready to begin their courses with a significant advantage. I believe Etherton provides an unparalleled preparation for students wishing to join a boarding school, whether for A-Levels, GCSE’s, or in the younger years. Etherton is not a summer camp or language school; theirs is a genuine academic, language and cultural preparation for life in a British boarding school. Etherton provides superb feedback on the pupils who are joining us. They are always professional, honest and prompt. We trust Etherton implicitly and have no hesitation in recommending them.”

Rachael Pritchard, Head of Boarding Marketing, Stonar School

We have strict procedures of Tier 4 Compliance, which we undertake on behalf of our partner schools in relation to handling passports, visas, Biometric Residency Permits and arrivals / departures of students on our courses. Etherton Education has standing authority to collect BRP’s on behalf of students and, where required, will assist with Police Registration for older students. We liaise closely with our partner schools with regard to all of the documentary requirements for Tier 4 compliance, and we immediately contact the school should any academic or pastoral concerns arise about a student during the course. We also provide a detailed end-of-course report for each student to parents and educational consultants, and to their onward schools, written by teaching staff, house staff and the Course Director.

We are proud of our working relationships with our partner schools and always keen to raise their profiles with our mutual overseas educational consultants. We ensure that our list of Partner Schools is available at every UK and overseas event we attend and it is sent to over 350 top agents worldwide annually as part of our registration pack.

To discuss the benefits of forming a partnership with Etherton Education, please contact: